Using the format of a Ted Talk video, four panelists (introduced by Bob O’Neill, executive director, ICMA, Washington, DC) at Monday's "The Future of the Profession and the Challenge of Culture Change" session described how they went about building a culture of and capacity for excellence. Some of their insights may be helpful to you in your organization’s journey.

From Darin Atteberry, city manager, Fort Collins, CO:

Building a culture of excellence is how you stay competitive and attract the “best and brightest.” It requires a deep commitment to continuous improvement.

Clarity around vision is required, as is alignment of resources.

Don’t discourage big thinking—“talk aspirational.”

Be driven by outcomes (move away from “trust us” local government) and be nimble in getting there.

Allow people to make mistakes but also have zero tolerance for ethical or legal violations.

Move to enterprise-wide system thinking (excellence in pockets isn’t sufficient).

Understand that the journey requires discipline.

From Katy Simon, president, Simon & Associates Management Consulting, and former city manager, Washoe County, Reno, NV:

Culture is the space between us, between what is and what might be. As leaders we support the shaping of the space between us.

As leaders of local government, you define what business you’re in, building and sustaining a culture of excellence and unleashing the potential of people.

Leadership is less about what you do and more about who you are.

Elements of the shared culture include

Shared values. Simply talking about shared values brings about inclusiveness and introduces you to the joy of listening.

Shared sacrifice. Walk the talk and lead by example (e.g., maybe the manager’s program should be among the first to experience cuts when cuts are necessary), which brings stakeholders into the process.

Data. Data-driven decision making takes your actions out of the realm of opinion and enables disciplined execution.

Innovation. Have a bias toward action and create structure that enables ideas to take root and be implemented.

Passion for purpose. People innovate successfully around things they’re passionate about.

From Simon Farbrother, city manager, Edmonton, Alberta, CA:

Pursuit of excellence is a quality-of-life discussion and the ability to create a location of choice.

Engage in conversations about what you’re trying to achieve and what you can do locally. These dialogs prompt discussion about

strategic alignment/direction of the organization so that deliberate choices can be made about where to invest resources

the nature of and need for effectively communicating

continuous improvement

conversation about culture, reflecting the values of public service.

Develop a set of leadership principles, relevant to your community. They might include such statements as

We’re proud to serve the public.

We’re part of the dialog about policy change.

We do as we say.

We make a difference every day (i.e., a personal commitment to making a difference).

Make a commitment to supporting capacity building. Leadership training can, for example, foster use of a common language as you move forward.

FromTed Gaebler, city manager, Rancho Cordova, CA:

Not all of us are good at culture. If you’re not, find people in your organization who are and put them in charge.

Creating a shared culture is important because in its absence, employees become unengaged.

Every organization has excess capacity, and it’s up to you to find ways to use those people on cross-organization (“matrixed”) teams for short periods of time, giving them the opportunity to work on things they care about.

Focus on mentoring, and bring in outside trainers and coaches.

Don’t shy away from “muffin management”—literally feed your council, your staff, your planning commission. People like food and appreciate being fed! Plus, it contributes to sustaining the culture. Do the math—the cost of muffin management is probably a quite insignificant percentage of your general fund.

The task of the manager is to test the perceived edges/boundaries of community and council values. Find out what’s permissible in your community—how much license do you have to be more innovative.

People want you to be a catalyst, broker, and facilitator. Be a change agent, not just a manager.

When a member of the audience asked the panel what he or she did personally (since the panelists uniformly talked in the first person plural when describing their communities, councils, and staff) to set the stage for change and culture and capacity building, the responses were similar:

Care about your employees and their careers.

Set the tone (“we are one city”) and give permission to innovate.

Humanize your relationships. Take the time, for instance, to write personal notes.

Be authentic.

Think big and encourage others to do so.

A final comment of relevant advise: ground your elected officials in the problem statement/opportunity. Give them the why and what of what you intend to achieve and measure, and check back in with them regularly.